This study evaluated two extracurricular leadership development programs offered by one urban high school. The programs were evaluated through an examination of the ways in which students understood their experiences in the programs in terms of their own leadership abilities, their leadership role with others and their perception of good leadership. The six study participants were observed facilitating groups of their peers through interactive activities at the programs' multiple-day events. In the three months following the programs, the participants were interviewed twice. The participants reported that their experience in a leadership development program helped them to feel confident in their leadership abilities. Also, the participants valued their relationships with their peers in their roles as leaders. Finally, the participants believed that good leaders exhibit caring behaviour towards others. This study provides information to assist the improvement of youth leadership development programs.

This study evaluated two extracurricular leadership development programs offered by one urban high school. The programs were evaluated through an examination of the ways in which students understood their experiences in the programs in terms of their own leadership abilities, their leadership role with others and their perception of good leadership. The six study participants were observed facilitating groups of their peers through interactive activities at the programs' multiple-day events. In the three months following the programs, the participants were interviewed twice. The participants reported that their experience in a leadership development program helped them to feel confident in their leadership abilities. Also, the participants valued their relationships with their peers in their roles as leaders. Finally, the participants believed that good leaders exhibit caring behaviour towards others. This study provides information to assist the improvement of youth leadership development programs.

L'adolescence est une période cruciale dans le développement, la consolidation et parfois le déclin de certaines habitudes de vie. Durant cette période, l'activité physique tend à diminuer avec l'âge, en particulier chez les filles. Fillactive est un organisme qui offre des services qui aident les écoles canadiennes à mettre en oeuvre des interventions d'activité physique spécifiquement dédiées aux adolescentes. Les objectifs de cette étude étaient d’évaluer les changements dans la pratique d’activité physique et les habitudes de vie (temps sédentaire, durée du sommeil et habitudes alimentaires) des participantes du programme Fillactive et de déterminer si ces changements variaient en fonction du respect des Directives canadiennes en matière de mouvement sur 24 heures et des recommandations du Guide alimentaire canadien à l'inscription. Lors de l’inscription et à la fin de l’année scolaire, 73 participantes ont répondu à un questionnaire en ligne. Les participantes ont rapporté une augmentation du nombre de journées actives et une diminution de la consommation quotidienne de sucreries à la fin du programme. Des analyses de sous-groupes ont révélé des changements plus importants chez celles qui ne rencontraient pas les recommandations canadiennes à l’inscription. Celles-ci ont augmenté de façon significative leur nombre de journées actives et leur consommation de légumes et de fruits, et ont diminué leur temps d’écran. Les résultats indiquent que la participation à Fillactive a le potentiel d’améliorer plusieurs habitudes de vie liées à la santé chez les adolescentes. D’autres études s’avèrent nécessaires afin d’explorer les effets de programmes d’interventions en activité physique chez les adolescentes. / Adolescence is a crucial time in the development, maintenance and sometimes the decline of different lifestyle habits. During adolescence, physical activity typically decreases with age, particularly in girls. FitSpirit is an organizaton that offers services that help Canadian schools implement physical activity interventions for adolescent girls. The objectives of this study were to evaluate changes in participants’ physical activity levels and lifestyle habits (sedentary time, sleep duration and eating habits) and to assess whether these changes varied on adherence to the Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines and Canada’s Food Guide recommendations at enrollment. At the time of FitSpirit registration and at the end of school year, 73 participants answered online questionnaire. The participants reported improvements, with an increase in the number of days with physical activity and a decrease in daily consumption of sweets. Subgroup analyzes revealed greatest changes in those who did not adhere to the Canadian recommendations at enrollment. These participants significantly increased their number of days with physical activity and their consumption of fruits and vegetables, and decreased their screen time. The results indicate that participation in FitSpirit has the potential to improve several health behaviors among adolescent girls. More research is needed to explore the effects of physical activity intervention programs among adolescent girls.